Researchers at the University of Virginia, the Office of Weather Research and Modification (OWRM) of NOAA (formerly the cumulus group of Hurricane and Experimental Meteorological Laboratory), and the Illinois State Water Survey, have engaged in a collaborative effort to study the relationship between surface convergence and subsequent precipitation from convective clouds in both subtropical marine and mid-latitude continental climates. The overall goal of the research was to increase the understanding of the dynamics involved in the development of convective clouds and in cloud interactions on the mesoscale. More specifically, the research focused on the role of low level and surface convergence in the evolution of precipitating convective systems and on developing methods by which this increased knowledge could be used for nowcasting convective precipitation. The research studies were based both on existing data sets from Florida and the Midwest and on measurements made in a special field project carried out during the second year of the three year project. (Author)